Neymar Criticises His Own Club’s Pitch

SAO PAULO: Neymar expressed his disappointment with the pitch conditions at Vila Belmiro after being forced to leave the field due to injury during Santos’ match against Palmeiras in the Brazil Cup.

The Brazilian star was seen shedding tears after being substituted at the end of the first half, before voicing his dissatisfaction on social media regarding the pitch conditions at his own home ground.

Tensions at Santos escalated further after they were eliminated from the Brazil Cup quarter-finals by rivals Palmeiras, as a goalless draw in the second leg failed to overturn the 0-3 defeat from the first match.

However, the main focus was on Neymar’s condition, as he suffered a right hamstring injury towards the end of the first half.

In an Instagram post, the 34-year-old player criticised the pitch surface at Vila Belmiro, describing it as very poor.

“Yesterday it was the worst pitch this stadium has ever seen, full of holes because they had to loosen it the day before the match. Unbelievable.

“Besides facing the opponents, we also had to fight against the pitch itself. We had to put in extra effort when sprinting and stopping because the surface was uneven. No wonder three players got injured in the first half,” he said.

Neymar’s injury was not the only incident involving Santos players in the quarter-final clash, as Lucas Verissimo also had to be substituted due to an ankle injury, while Barreal became the third player to suffer physical problems in the first half.

According to ESPN, Neymar is expected to miss Santos’ Brasileiro match against Internacional at Beira-Rio this Sunday.

Palmeiras later responded to Neymar’s criticism with a sarcastic social media post, comparing the pitch conditions at Vila Belmiro with the artificial surface at their own stadium, Nubank Parque.